domwild Posted July 25, 2016 #51 Share Posted July 25, 2016 Do you know what Princess are charging currently. Princess had the cheek to charge us US$25 each for stamping the passport as no visa is required any more for Indonesia. This translates to a US$50,000 windfall due to the 2,000 pax. on the Dawn Princess we are going on just for collecting, stamping and returning the passport. As most Indo ports are accessed via tender, there is waiting involved anyway but Princess justifies that charge by claiming waiting times will be reduced that way?? The cheek is "drip pricing", as we already paid in full and then received an email advising us of that extra charge. I will have a loud conversation with the head purser on the day of boarding. A further email asked where in the pax contract does it state that Princess is permitted to do this; no answer but before then a telephone call suggested it is a service charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkmw Posted July 26, 2016 #52 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Princess had the cheek to charge us US$25 each for stamping the passport as no visa is required any more for Indonesia. This translates to a US$50,000 windfall due to the 2,000 pax. on the Dawn Princess we are going on just for collecting, stamping and returning the passport. As most Indo ports are accessed via tender, there is waiting involved anyway but Princess justifies that charge by claiming waiting times will be reduced that way?? The cheek is "drip pricing", as we already paid in full and then received an email advising us of that extra charge. I will have a loud conversation with the head purser on the day of boarding. A further email asked where in the pax contract does it state that Princess is permitted to do this; no answer but before then a telephone call suggested it is a service charge. i really dont know what the head purser will or can do, he will say he's following orders from higher up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #53 Share Posted July 26, 2016 If no visa is required, why are they still charging for it. Perhaps a call to the Australian office may be in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domwild Posted July 26, 2016 #54 Share Posted July 26, 2016 If no visa is required, why are they still charging for it. Perhaps a call to the Australian office may be in order. Thanks. Have sent an email to their customer service centre and received a telephone call back, which mentioned that charge as a "service charge"? Before we had to have a visa for Indo and that called for a visa charge levied by the Indo gov. plus the service fee of Princess. Certainly a slightly more involved process than just stamping. Princess must have become addicted to this service charge and decided to levy it again. Been on Princess on the Fort Lauderdale-Sydney stretch and ended up at several South American countries and there had our passports stamped without a US$25 service charge for each country. Remember now that our passports were collected right at the beginning of the cruise without an explanation and that stamping must have been the reason for it. So why charge now?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domwild Posted July 26, 2016 #55 Share Posted July 26, 2016 i really dont know what the head purser will or can do, he will say he's following orders from higher up Correct! But talking slightly louder continental-style might just wake up other passengers to voice their opinions too and will be more embarrassing for Princess than for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare erewhon Posted July 26, 2016 #56 Share Posted July 26, 2016 We are sailing on HAL in October, two stops in Indonesia, when I contacted HAL re obtaining visa on board the ship, as we had done two years ago at a cost of US$60.00 pp, the reply stated "that as of March 2016, if you are from one of 169 countries, you are able to visit Indonesia visa-free for up to 30 days". We are from NZ, which is one of the 169 countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #57 Share Posted July 26, 2016 We are sailing on HAL in October, two stops in Indonesia, when I contacted HAL re obtaining visa on board the ship, as we had done two years ago at a cost of US$60.00 pp, the reply stated "that as of March 2016, if you are from one of 169 countries, you are able to visit Indonesia visa-free for up to 30 days". We are from NZ, which is one of the 169 countries. Australia has made the list of countries as well. Hence the query as to why Princess is still charging for a service that is no longer required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #58 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Correct! But talking slightly louder continental-style might just wake up other passengers to voice their opinions too and will be more embarrassing for Princess than for me. Yes, some embarrassment may be needed to stop them proceeding with the service charge for doing nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Womble99 Posted July 26, 2016 #59 Share Posted July 26, 2016 (edited) Yes, some embarrassment may be needed to stop them proceeding with the service charge for doing nothing. Maybe you should be asking Princess how their service is better than the one provided by the little old ladies in one of the tourist centers we past in NZ offering to stamp our passport for $10NZ? Both offer the same effective service now just a pretty stamp ;) Edited July 26, 2016 by Womble99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opua Kiwi Posted July 26, 2016 #60 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Australia has made the list of countries as well. Hence the query as to why Princess is still charging for a service that is no longer required. The passports are collected and stamped twice by Indonesian Officials onboard. First with the Visa-exempt stamp, and then again with the departure stamp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell21 Posted July 26, 2016 #61 Share Posted July 26, 2016 It's Indonesia, you know exactly where the money is going for the "Free" visa, or at least some of it.:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs and mrs Posted July 26, 2016 #62 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Could be embarrassing if no-one tenders and stays on board. I'm sure the officials will still come on-board as they rampage through the buffet.:) Imagine it 2500 pax all staying on-board. Msg sent very clearly. Hey Capitain,might as well weigh anchor and head for Darwin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #63 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Maybe you should be asking Princess how their service is better than the one provided by the little old ladies in one of the tourist centers we past in NZ offering to stamp our passport for $10NZ? Both offer the same effective service now just a pretty stamp ;) I think they have a different pricing structure though.:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #64 Share Posted July 26, 2016 (edited) The passports are collected and stamped twice by Indonesian Officials onboard.First with the Visa-exempt stamp, and then again with the departure stamp. What a bargain, may as well as gotten the visa.:rolleyes: Edited July 26, 2016 by MicCanberra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #65 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Could be embarrassing if no-one tenders and stays on board.I'm sure the officials will still come on-board as they rampage through the buffet.:) Imagine it 2500 pax all staying on-board. Msg sent very clearly. Hey Capitain,might as well weigh anchor and head for Darwin. They still charge you whether you stay on board or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #66 Share Posted July 26, 2016 It's Indonesia, you know exactly where the money is going for the "Free" visa, or at least some of it.:rolleyes: Exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedy8 Posted July 26, 2016 #67 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Yes, some embarrassment may be needed to stop them proceeding with the service charge for doing nothing. The best way I know to do that is to ask the question on their facebook page. Most companies don't like to see things raised on Social Media. Ive picked the facebook page that comes up with the Princess icon of the Lady with the blue hair, and will ask now. It would be nice if we had a mild avalance of queries, who will ask on twitter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reedy8 Posted July 26, 2016 #68 Share Posted July 26, 2016 The best way I know to do that is to ask the question on their facebook page.Most companies don't like to see things raised on Social Media. Ive picked the facebook page that comes up with the Princess icon of the Lady with the blue hair, and will ask now. It would be nice if we had a mild avalance of queries, who will ask on twitter? Ive just posted this on their page, tee hee I'm looking at a Princess Cruise that stops at Benoa Bali, but I see that Princess is charging a $25 service fee for Visa's I find this confusing as Australia is now one of the many countries that don't need a visa for Bali. Can you explain this fee please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 26, 2016 #69 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Ive just posted this on their page, tee hee I'm looking at a Princess Cruise that stops at Benoa Bali, but I see that Princess is charging a $25 service fee for Visa's I find this confusing as Australia is now one of the many countries that don't need a visa for Bali. Can you explain this fee please? Cheers, let's see how it goes.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjwa Posted July 26, 2016 #70 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Ive just posted this on their page, tee hee I'm looking at a Princess Cruise that stops at Benoa Bali, but I see that Princess is charging a $25 service fee for Visa's I find this confusing as Australia is now one of the many countries that don't need a visa for Bali. Can you explain this fee please? The port of Benoa can't issue a free visa so you need to get the VOA for which they(Indonesia) charge a fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted July 27, 2016 Author #71 Share Posted July 27, 2016 The port of Benoa can't issue a free visa so you need to get the VOA for which they(Indonesia) charge a fee. It's not the Indonesian VOA fee, tjwa, it is a processing fee which Princess slapped on to the visa fee at the start of this year. At that time there was a visa charge of US $35. Princess added US $25 which brought it up to US $60. Then Indonesia added Australia to the free visa list. Princess dropped the $US 35 but still kept the US $25 processing fee. The cruise I was on was a USD onboard cost cruise. I'm not sure if Princess are charging AU $25 on Aussie-based cruises now since it's a processing fee not a visa fee, or if they are still charging it at US $25. What we don't know, and Princess won't say, is whether it is a charge by the Indonesian government, however I believe that other cruise lines that visit Indonesia don't charge passengers a fee. That doesn't mean to say they don't build it into their fares though. Who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs and mrs Posted July 27, 2016 #72 Share Posted July 27, 2016 They still charge you whether you stay on board or not. True but in might send a msg that a passengers we are not interested in stopping here as a destination.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opua Kiwi Posted July 27, 2016 #73 Share Posted July 27, 2016 True but in might send a msg that a passengers we are not interested in stopping here as a destination.:) I enjoy my Bali Beach Bintang Breaks. Fewer people tendering ashore would be fine by me, less crowded on the open air deck of the big Cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted July 27, 2016 Author #74 Share Posted July 27, 2016 True but in might send a msg that a passengers we are not interested in stopping here as a destination.:) We chose not to go ashore when our last cruise stopped at Bali, partly for that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted July 27, 2016 #75 Share Posted July 27, 2016 (edited) It's not the Indonesian VOA fee, tjwa, it is a processing fee which Princess slapped on to the visa fee at the start of this year. At that time there was a visa charge of US $35. Princess added US $25 which brought it up to US $60. Then Indonesia added Australia to the free visa list. Princess dropped the $US 35 but still kept the US $25 processing fee. The cruise I was on was a USD onboard cost cruise. I'm not sure if Princess are charging AU $25 on Aussie-based cruises now since it's a processing fee not a visa fee, or if they are still charging it at US $25. What we don't know, and Princess won't say, is whether it is a charge by the Indonesian government, however I believe that other cruise lines that visit Indonesia don't charge passengers a fee. That doesn't mean to say they don't build it into their fares though. Who knows? This was the crux of the matter. If Princess is just charging for the sake of what was done or if it is a legitimate claim from the Indonesian officials, they should come clean and tell the passengers. Edited July 27, 2016 by MicCanberra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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